As I sit here, freezing my tuchas off, I thought it was a good time to revisit The Girl’s birthday on our cruise.
Cruise – Friday 1-15-16
We actually got to sleep a bit this morning – in theory, because our excursion meeting time wasn’t until about 9am. But, after waking up at 5:30 to the PA “First aid response… First aid response… Fires on deck six, port side,” thankfully, followed by “First aid response… Stand down,” at 5:45, I was pretty much up for the day. The Girl, of course, slept through the whole thing, and Hubs was buzz sawing once it was done.
Anyway, after getting up in time to have buffet breakfast (mmmmm…….bacon!), we headed out for our excursion in Cozumel. But, we are the worst parents ever, because it was about a half hour before we remembered to wish The Girl happy birthday. Meanwhile, this heat rash has been driving me nuts with the itching, and I contemplated skipping the port, but decided I could manage with shade, and I’m glad I did.
Passion Island was fantastic. The open bar drinks had barely a splash of alcohol, but that meant I could drink them all day. Well, for the three hours we were there, anyway. Starting at 10 am. I had a Passion Island (fruit punch, tequila, and rum), followed by many margaritas. I do think I’m mastering day drinking.
The amenities were amazing. In the water, there was an inflated trampoline and obstacle course, plus a bunch of hammocks. On the beach, there were loungers, tables & chairs,and my favorite spot – the hanging, swinging platform beds. I spent most of my time on one of those, in the shade of a thatched palm roof. There’s probably a name for it, but I don’t know what it is. Hubs and The Girl spent their time in the water and on the sand. They even pedaled a “tricycle” around the water for a while.
I’m too far behind to digi-scrap the rest of the pics from that day, so here’s a gallery of pics from Passion Island:
Lunch was great, with real Mexican tacos. Hubs went for carnitas, and I had fish. The Girl ate some pasta and fries – better than nothing. Felipe, one of our guides, came over because he’d heard it was Meredith’s birthday. He gave her a pretty beaded bracelet. That was so thoughtful and kind.
About an hour after we had lunch, a couple more boatloads of people came from another ship. They brought their cigarettes. It was pretty gross. And, I heard the best yet description of the majority of the passengers on this particular line (which shall not be named to protect the innocent), likening them to People of Walmart. Judging? Yes. But seriously, these folks did not disappoint.
Just as we were leaving, it began to pour. The whole beach break at Passion Island was done so well, even down to the weather. Apparently, this was the first nice day in a week. And yesterday, the boats had to turn back because it was too dangerous (waves) to dock at the little pier.
On the way back, we were treated to dance music like Macarena, Cha Cha Slide, and YMCA – complete with choreography from the crew of our vessel. We got back in time to do a little shopping and shower and nap before our last formal night.
At dinner, The waiter brought The Girl her special birthday dessert, complete with candle, and she was serenaded (“Happy Birthday”) by our waiters and the tables around us. And people wished her happy birthday on our way out of the dining room.
After dinner, we headed to Club Fusion for Miracle Lyrical trivia – finish the line of a song game. One of the songs was Journey – Don’t Stop Believein’ – you know, the one that Glee ruined repopularized. The Girl knew the answer right away. I’m so proud. She ran our answer sheet up to the front, and remarked to Ian, the Assistant Cruise Director running the show, “This is too easy.” As she ran back up to us, he came over and asked (on mic), how old she is. The usually shy kid answered, “Eight,” and I added, “Today – it’s her birthday!” Well, that’s all the impetus Ian needed to lead the entire room in a round of “Happy Birthday.” She slunk down in her chair, but I could tell she secretly loved it. When the game was over (we didn’t win, but we had fun), on our way out, a table of ship’s officers wished her happy birthday. As we walked towards the atrium, she got even more birthday wishes from passengers. And even the Captain’s Circle Host wished her happy birthday as we passed him. I do believe this was her best birthday yet.
